Blunkett warns over vocational exam ‘trashing’

The Department for Education announced yesterday that thousands of equivalent qualifications would be removed from the GCSE league tables amid claims some schools have been pushing pupils into softer subjects to improve their rankings.

The number of vocational courses taken in schools has increased 40-fold in the past six years.

From 2014 the Government will cut out thousands of alternative qualifications from school’s GCSE scores.

Among the courses no longer being counted are a level one certificate in practical office skills, the BTEC level two extended certificate in fish husbandry and the level two certificate in nail technology services, all of which are treated as two GCSEs under the current system.

The level two BTEC in horse care – currently worth four GCSEs – is also among those being removed.

Mr Blunkett said it was “entirely wrong” if schools were deliberately seeking to skew league tables but warned that the tone of reforms risked discrediting important vocational qualifications.

He added: “If there’s a problem, let’s root it out. But let’s encourage youngsters to mix and match.

“I got my qualifications by getting a vocational qualification in business studies and going to evening classes to get A-levels at the same time.

“By all means slim them down but do not send the message out that this is a wholesale trashing of what was there and that somehow vocational education has been downgraded. If you do that, you will do us a very grave disservice.”

Plans to slash the numbers of “equivalent” qualifications were first announced by ministers last year following Professor Alison Wolf’s review of vocational education.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “The weaknesses in our current system were laid bare by Professor Wolf’s incisive and far-reaching review. The changes we are making will take time but will transform the lives of young people.

“For too long the system has been devalued by attempts to pretend that all qualifications are intrinsically the same. Young people have taken courses that have led nowhere.”

Qualifications that do not meet the set standards can still be offered by schools but will not count in the league tables.

Prof Wolf said there had been a 40-fold increase in the number of vocational qualifications being taught in schools in just five or six years.

“It would be lovely to think that was just because these were qualifications that were good for children but some of that is chasing league table points,” she said.

“There are a number of schools which are going out there and basically trying to pile up GCSE-equivalent points.”

Even after the reforms, the UK was likely to remain the European country which awarded the most vocational qualifications for 14 to 16-year-olds, says Prof Wolf.

“I am very keen on vocational qualifications but they need to be good ones, and ones that employers recognise and value,” she added. “The most important thing the Government can do is make clear to people which vocational qualifications and which practical and applied qualifications are really valuable.”

Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg said: “Labour will support attempts to maintain rigour in our qualification system. It is not right that some young people are told they can get a qualification which won’t be valued by universities, colleges or employers. However, we need to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath water.”

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